Pray for Canadian institutions to take seriously the ninety-four
recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission regarding the
atrocities committed against Indigenous people in the residential school
system. Give thanks for the healing journey thus far, for the dedication of the
survivors, and for the opportunities for genuine reconciliation created by
their testimony.

*Epixel for Sunday, June 14, 2015

He does not forget the cry of the afflicted. Psalm 9:12b

*epixel: a snapshot-epistle to the churches related to and appearing with a text from the upcoming Sunday's Revised Common Lectionary readings.

On Tuesday, 26 May, three CPT members of the Iraqi Kurdistan team took the Childrenâ€™s Art and Peace Project to the students of Kobani School in Sulaimani.

The children were refugees from Syria. Their cheerful faces belied any suffering that they had endured. Several were wearing school uniforms they may have worn when they were students in Syria. They eagerly participated in the program, in many ways demonstrating the resilience of children.

Wanting to show that working together is enriching, we told them that we came from different countries, with the same dream. One of us is from Poland, another from Canada and the third from the USA. We are a peace team, involved in working for peace in spite of our own government's decisions regarding solutions to the violence. People around the world are joining hands, seeking peace, dreaming of what a world of peace would look like. Then, ready to have them share their dreams, we asked them, "What does peace look like?"

CPT Executive Director Shares Thompson shares about the potential for intentional communities to foster a more sustainable future. Also pictured, Monica Lewis Patrick of We the People of Detroit.

Have you ever paused before turning on the faucet and thought, â€śWow I canâ€™t believe how incredible it is that I have running water?â€ť Probably not. Most of us have never known life without running water in our homes. Though we each use gallons of water each day for cooking, drinking and hygiene, seldom, if ever, do we think about how dependent our lives are on having access to clean water.

Until we donâ€™t have accessâ€¦

On 29-31 May, CPT Executive Director Sarah Thompson, Intern Hayden Abene, and CPT Palestine team member Cody Oâ€™Rourke attended the International Social Movement Gathering on Affordable Housing in Detroit, MI to see firsthand how the city of Detroit is systematically denying thousands of people the human right to clean water and housing. Hosted by the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization (MWRO)and the Detroit Peopleâ€™s Water Board, they joined over 300 people from forty-seven states and ten countries to share stories of injustice, resilience and generosity, and to strategize actionable ways to defend the human right to water, sanitation and affordable housing.

What if pacifist Christians trained as hard for peace as militaries (including militant Christians) trained for war? What if pacifist Christians (such as the Mennonites, Brethren, and Quakers) were willing to sacrifice as much for peace as a soldier is willing to sacrifice for war? What could happen?

Christian Peacemaker Teams is part of the answer to that question. Having begun in 1986, in the crucible of Latin American solidarity movements, CPT has continued to thrive within various social movements as a creative, faith-inspired organization committed to undoing oppressions and to strategic peacemaking interventions in situations of violent conflict. Joining with you allâ€”people who belong to social movements, have risked a lot, sacrificed much, and experimented with healthier ways of sharing this planetâ€”enlivens our work. It is one reason we hold a Peacemaker Congress every other yearâ€”this year it will take place in Detroitâ€”so that our workers in the field can engage with you, our supporters. and new people interested in movement building.